


The Girl From The Future

by silverwing33



Series: The Unbelievable Lives Of Li [2]
Category: Agent Carter - Fandom
Genre: 1940s, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-19
Updated: 2019-02-27
Packaged: 2019-10-31 16:35:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17853215
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silverwing33/pseuds/silverwing33
Summary: Li crash lands in Director Thompson's life and he must protect her from those who want to exploit the things she knows of events in the future.





	1. Chapter 1

“Well, she's gotta stay somewhere!”, Jack Thompson roared at his agents, who looked around at each other sheepishly. The truth of the matter was that they were scared of her and didn't want her in their home. Each of them made up various excuses. For some it was that they felt their spouse would disprove and forbid it, not to mention it would be really hard to find a reason why they've been asked to bring a young woman home to stay with them. Others it was their landlord would refuse to allow her to stay. So Jack turned to Peggy. Good reliable Peggy she would take her. But she was in England on bereavement leave following the loss of her Mother. Nope, he would have to take her. 

 

Sat in the interrogation room was a woman sat crumpled in a chair. Her head snapped up with a look of alarm on her tear stained face. An hour before she had materialised from thin air in the middle of the SSR office, complete with a white bed sheet, some wooden cloth pegs and an empty laundry basket. Upon questioning she had informed them she had no idea why she was there or how. She had been outside in her garden putting some laundry out to dry, hearing a noise at her feet she looked down to see a firey ring of sparks before the ground gave way and she fell through into the SSR office room. Her name was Liberty Riley and she came from Orville, West Virginia. She was 35 years and an artist. But when they ask if there was anyone they could call, she dropped a bombshell that was she from the future. 2017 to be exact. March 2017. 

From that moment it all descended into chaos. 

 

There were a lot of raised voices. There were some who voiced that this girl must be delusional, until it was pointed out that she fell from thin air, giving her claims of being from the future substance. A popular idea was that she was a spy, but for what reason and for who, was unknown. She was interrogated for 3 hours. By the end, she was shaking with fear and panic, asking for Peggy Carter, whom she had known later in life. 

 

“I know how this sounds, and I know how crazy all this is and I know there's nothing I can say to make you believe that in telling you the truth. I don't know why I'm here. I don't know how I'm here. And... _ sniff…. _ i know you're going to hurt me... _ sobs... _ and I don't know what to do!” 

Jack had seen some performances by people in that chair. But this felt different and he found himself softening into believing that maybe, maybe she was telling the truth. That a random occurrence had caused a woman from the future to end up here. He could see how frightened and overwhelmed she was. 

 

“Alright, alright….don't, don't cry now. I don't believe myself saying this, but i... I believe you! So you're coming to stay with me. But you're to stay put until we know more about your situation and if there's gonna be any more people from 2017 coming. For all, we know there might be an epidemic of people coming here! Understand?”

She nods, still looking down at the floor. “Alright, let's get you somewhere safe, let's go.” Jack helps her up from the chair and leads her out. He could feel how shaken she was and unsteady on her feet. 

  
  



	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack takes Li home

Li shuffled into the SSR directors’ home. It was quite nice and very small. The hallway was short and opened out into an open plan kitchen and lounge area, with another corridor leading off to the bedroom and bathroom. It was quite clean and well maintained, but it was quite obviously a bachelor lived here, by noting the leather couch, the dark wood furniture and the sparse kitchen area that desperately needed some TLC. 

 

“You can't take the bedroom and I'll have the couch, if you follow me I'll show you where it is”, Jack gestured for her to walk in front of him. “Just in here..”, motioning her into a small, but pleasant bedroom with cream carpet and curtains and soft wall lighting. In front of her was a wooden queen-sized bed with an ivory bedspread and pillows. 

“I'm just going to take some things out of her for tomorrow so I don't disturb you. And...you can wear this to bed if you want..” He handed a white shirt in her direction, as he focussed his attention on selecting an outfit for work the next day. 

“Oh and just so you know, the door there leads to a small shower and toilet. That will be your personal bathroom during your stay here, just till Agent Carter gets back and then you can go stay with her while we figure out what to do with you.” 

 

Li sat down on the bed and nodded. She was still quite frightened and shaken by her experience of being thrown back in time and interrogated. She dreaded what they were going to do with her next. She took the shirt and folded it in her arms as she watched the director take things out of his closet and drawers. “What….what do I call you? Director Thompson?”, she spoke, with a thin and brittle voice. 

 

Jack turned around and looked at her for the first time since being at the office. She looked so lost and forlorn sat there on the edge of the bed. He felt a wave of pity for her. “You can call me Jack. But if there's anyone else here, or if you're called into the office, you call me by my title, alright?” 

She nodded again, “What should I do while I'm here? I don't want to get in your way, but if there's anything I can do to ease my staying here please tell me. I'm a good cook if that helps.” 

He smiled warmly in response. “I can probably think of a few things you can do around here. I've got a pile of washing if the mood takes you. As for dinner, well... I work late a lot of evenings so that probably won't really work out.”, and with that, he began to walk out the door. 

“I could always leave it in the oven and warm it up when you get back if you like” she offered. 

“heh...alright, we can try that if it makes you happy. Goodnight Miss Riley” 

“Goodnight director Thompson” 

“Heh”, he chuckled as he closed the door to the bedroom. She seemed sweet, this could actually work out to his advantage after all! 

 

In the bedroom Li looked at the shirt she was given, she wasn't sure if it was appropriate for her to wear it though. On the one hand, she couldn't sleep in her clothes as she would need to wear them the next day, but on the other, this was a man's shirt, a man who was sleeping on the couch in the next room to her, whom she only just met. She didn't like this situation she was in at all! She knew a little of Jack Thompson from the stories Peggy used to tell of the SSR and the early days of SHIELD. But she described him as someone very narrow-minded, arrogant, opportunistic and misogynistic. So sleeping in his room, albeit alone, did nothing for her fears and worries she was feeling. She wished Peggy would hurry back, and that she would believe her and hopefully help her find her way home. 

  
  



	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first morning

The next morning Li woke up at the crack of dawn and it took her a few moments to realise she was not in her bed at home. She shot up out of bed and looked back at the rumpled covers.  _ Oh God, oh no, this isn't a dream! I'm still here!  _ She felt the shirt she was wearing and looked down at it. She needed to change. Diving quickly round the bed she grabbed up her clothes she had left on a chair by the wardrobe and disappeared into the en suite bathroom. Inside she found more of Director Thompsons things. His towels, toothpaste and brush, and his shaving kit. Was she supposed to use the towels? She sniffed at them and found them to be freshly laundered, to her relief they hadn't been used. She turned on the shower and undressing, she stepped inside. The warm water felt like a gentle comforting embrace and she soon found herself relaxing. She used a little of his shampoo which had a menthol-like scent to it, which wasn't unpleasant to her nose. And used a little of his soap, turning it over and over in her hands to gather up some foam. She didn't like the idea of gliding the soap bar over her body, knowing he had done the same with his. It was bad enough having to use the same bar! It had a nice mild smell to it, one she recognised from home that she too had used in the past.  _ Home,  _ she thought. How she ached to go home. She had always felt out of place there due to her preoccupation with the 1940s, but actually being here, she realised just how much she didn't belong here either. It felt like a nightmare, one she couldn't wake up from. 

 

But Li was not one to dwell on negative things. She always had a tendency to find a way to make things better. When she ran away as a young child, she found somewhere to stay that was nice and dry and safe. And as an adult here she was, taking shelter in a nice and dry place. She just wasn't sure how safe she was. She decided she would test the waters by making Director Thompson breakfast and see how he would react. 

 

Once she was dried and dressed, she pinned her hair up into a simple bun and walked down the hallway into the kitchen space. The kitchen comprised of a workspace/breakfast bar with two high top stools pushed underneath out of the way. Next to this, was the kitchen sink and cooker with the grill above the hobs. It was slightly different from her cooker at home, where the grill was above the oven, below the hobs. But the functions were still the same. Li began to look through the various cupboard around the kitchen, there weren't many, but they were amply stocked with various foods. On the counter next to the dishrack and wall she found a bread bin with a fresh loaf inside. It smelled a little old, but still fresh enough to be toasted and eaten. She couldn't find a toaster so, used the grill instead. Inside the fridge, by the adjacent wall, she found an opened pack of bacon. It smelled delicious! 

 

Soon the smell of bacon, eggs and toast reached the nose of Jack and waking up from being sprawled on the couch he turned his head and through bleary eyes saw Li in the kitchen, cooking up a storm. It smelled like heaven to his hungry, empty stomach. 

“Whatcha cooking there”, he asked, sitting up on the couch and rubbing the sleep out of his eyes with a yawn. 

“Oh, just some breakfast. I wanted to thank you and I found some bacon and eggs in the fridge and thought id make you a cooked breakfast”, she said cheerfully, taking a quick glance at him to check his reaction. Jack raised his eyebrows in a surprised fashion and got up sighing. “Sounds good. I'm gonna go get washed and dressed, ready for work. Be back soon. Can I get some coffee?” 

“Sure!”, she had already clicked on the coffee maker which was brewing nicely next to her. She liked being in the kitchen, it felt homey to her. She was good at this sort of thing, cooking and keeping house. 

 

By the time Jack had come back, he picked up two pieces of toast, hooked some egg and bacon and made himself a sandwich out of it. Taking a swig of coffee, he was out of the door. “See ya later!”, the door closed after him and Li was left standing in the kitchen feeling deflated. There was no fuss, no thank you, nothing. As she stood there, the door opened again and Jack poked his head around, “Don't go out, alright?! You're to stay here till I get back. Don't let anyone see or speak to you. No one can know you're here!” 

Li nodded sorrowfully and looked down at her feet. 

“Oh hey, now, its nothing bad about you. It's just to keep you safe”, he comforted her and placed his hand on either of her upper arms and bent his head and back to meet her eyes. She was such a cute, sweet thing! “I'll be back later….about half five...you gonna be alright till then?” 

She nodded again and looked at him with tears brimming at her eyelids. 

“Don't cry! Dont.. _ sigh... _ Dont do that now. I gotta go to work! You'll be alright! I promise. We'll sort something out. You want to go home don't you.” 

“Yes!”, She choked out, trying to swallow the lump raised in her throat. She wanted to go home more than anything. 

“Well, we will try to think of a way. We'll find something. In the meantime, you can stay here till we find you somewhere better. It won't be so bad here. I'm not a bad guy! Is there anything you want me to get you on the way home?” 

Li shook her head, “No, I just don't like the fact I'm cooped up and can't go outside.” 

Jack let out a small moan and straightened himself up. “You can go out Li, but not without me. It's just to keep you safe and so you don't get lost. You understand?” 

This made her feel better. She understood what he was saying and brushed away her tears. “Yeah! That sounds reasonable. When can we go out?”

“Well...how about this Saturday? If you're still here by then, I'll take you out Saturday to get some bits. How does that sound?” 

“Better, thank you!”, she responded feeling much brighter in spirit. 

“There we go! Good! I'll see you later! Half five!” He gave her a cheerful smile and wave and quickly exited out the door. Jack walked down the hallway with a whistle and skip in his step. He felt good. He couldn't explain why he just did! 

 

But in the kitchen, Li started to clean and put away the cutlery and utensils she used to make breakfast. She then picked up her plate of a bacon and egg sandwich and sat down at the breakfast bar to eat it. On the table was yesterdays paper, as she began to read it, she found herself relaxing. Director Thompson didn't seem so bad after all. But at the same time, she didn't feel totally safe. Something inside made her keep aware. 

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack arrives home with a surprise

Li had dozed off when Jack had come back that evening. He entered his apartment and called out for Li to let her know he was home. It was dark inside and no sound was to be heard. 

 

Jack carefully put down the box he had cradled under his armpit and took out his gun from inside his jacket and slowly backed up around the corner of the hallway towards the kitchen and lounge area. “Li?!”, he called out again. He reached for the kitchen light and flipped it on. The bulb up above blinkered into action and cast a bright glow above the kitchen surfaces and into the lounge area where he saw Li curled up asleep on the couch with her back facing towards him. 

 

_ Goddamnit woman! Nearly gave me a heart attack in my own home!  _ he thought to himself as he walked towards her and tapped her sharply on the shoulder. 

Li moaned a little and turned onto her back to look up at him sleepily. “You're back early”, she croaked, trying to stifle a yawn. “Actually I'm home late! I take it you haven't started dinner yet!”, he said crossly, tossing his keys into the bowl at the end of the hallway. 

“No...I must've fallen asleep earlier. I'll make something now.”, she fumbled to get up and wiped the sleep from her eyes. 

“Uhhhh, don't bother!”, Jack muttered as he stomped his way to the bedroom and closed the door heavily making Li jump a little. Now she knew why she didn't feel safe. 

 

She stood in the kitchen unsure what to do. She, herself didn't feel hungry. As she stood there thinking about what to do or what to offer to make, Jack came back into the kitchen and bustled around her, opening cupboards and the refrigerator, he grabbed at items and tossed them onto the kitchen table. He was in a foul mood and Li found herself being bumped around as he was fidgeting around getting stuff. She ended up sitting down at the table, biting at her nails. “A man comes home to a woman, he expects a meal waiting for him! What do you do? Sleep!”, he jabbed a dull round ended butter knife in the direction of Li and continued making himself a sandwich. 

“I didn't do it on purpose”, she said quietly. She was beginning to feel scared like he was going to hurt her. It felt like the interrogation room all over. She had nowhere to go, so she couldn't just leave. She had no money, no friends, nothing. She was completely at his mercy and it made her sick to her stomach. 

 

She clutched at her stomach and raced to her bathroom to throw up what little contents she had in her stomach. Jack seeing her run off and hearing her vomit got up quickly and went after her. “Li, you sick?!”, he said softer than before with concern written all over his face. He didn't mean to be that harsh with her. “I'm sorry... I didn't mean to have a go at you. You should've said something!” 

 

Li got up off the floor when she had been kneeling and slowly came into the room, using the frame of the door for support. Jack moved more into the room and guided her to the bed, letting her lie down. She was trembling. He felt terrible. “Hey now...you just lie there. Have you had anything to eat?”

“No”, she murmured, still feeling scared and upset. 

“Do you want me to make you a sandwich? You really need to eat something.”

Li shook her head and turned on to her side on the bed to face away from him. Jack looked away and bowed his head. “I didn't mean to get so cross. I'm sorry. I'm just hungry. I have something for you by the way. I picked it out today. Want to have a look?” 

 

Li turned around and looked at him. “Yeah! Wait here, I'll go get it”, Jack cheered as he got up and went to get the parcel he brought home. When he came back Li opened it to find a pretty pink dress with a floral pattern design. It was lovely. “I had to guess your size, but if it doesn't fit, we can always take it back and exchange it. Tomorrow the mall is open late, so we can get you some more things, like undergarments and sleepwear when I finish work. We'll have dinner out too. Make an evening of things, whatcha say?!”, he spread his hands and arms out wide with a big smile on his face. 

 

“That might be nice. Are you...expecting anything in return?”, she whispered, still feeling afraid of him. 

Jack frowned and leaned back a little in disgust. He wasn't like that! Now if someone was to offer discreetly, he might not say no. But it was obvious that wasn't the case with her. Which made him think, what sort of person does she think he is?! 

“NO!”, he replied loud and crossly, “What sort of creep do you think I am?!” 

Li gathered up a bit of courage and said, “The type who expects me to cook for him even though I'm not his girlfriend or his wife! But someone in your custody who is scared, lost and far from home!” 

“Hey! You offered to cook and clean, remember?! You said so yourself, you wanted to!”, he got up from the bed and pointed his finger accusingly at her, bending over to meet her eyes that at the moment had a hint of fire in them. She did have a point though. It wasn't fair to expect anything from her. Ah, screw that, yes he did! She offered! And it was out of kindness he offered his home for her to stay. If it was anyone else, they would've palmed her off to someone else or worse, kick her out into the street. She had no business being here, how she was or even why she was here was still being investigated with no much success! No, she was in the wrong here, not him! Especially seeing as he got her that nice dress and all! He was being a perfect gentleman! And she was ungrateful! 

“You know what?! I'm sleeping in my bed tonight! YOU can have the couch seeing as you like sleeping on it during the day”, he straightened himself up and folded his arms.  _ See how she likes that!  _

“FINE!!”, she yelled at him and storming out back into the living room. She sat down roughly on the couch and crossed her arms, feeling all the rage a woman in his situation could feel.  _ Jerk! _

 

Back in the bedroom, Jack slammed the door shut after her and grabbed a bottle of whiskey he had hidden in the bottom drawer of his bedside table and poured himself a drink, using the glass already placed on top of the table.  _ Women!  _

  
  



End file.
